Rudolf VON ERLACH (ID #I16691)

One genealogy says he was born in 1602, but we found his brother Franz baptised that year in Bern. Traditional genealogy makes him the husband of Anna Manuel. The modern genealogy notes 3 birthdates for him, 1600, 1601, and 1605, from various family registers, and suggests perhaps one Rudolf died in infancy. The church records of Bern show two, born in 1600 and 1604.

While there is reasonable documentation on Samuel von Erlach, it has been extremely difficult to discover the origins of his wife, Magdelaine Gachet.

Probably the most interesting document we have retrieved so far in this regard was copied onto the final leaf of the notarial register of Jean Marcuard, notary at Payerne, by Jean Marcuard, son of the notary. It refers to a settlement of a dispute over expenses on behalf of Magdelaine during the years 1585 and 1586, but it leaves many questions unanswered; for example, why would the de Trey family have incurred any expenses at all on her behalf? The language suggests that François de Trey may have been managing her property near Payerne, but why? Perhaps because she was still a minor? Or simply because she was living elsewhere?

Apparently the same Samuel turns up as bailli de Morges, where two of his children are baptised. There are numerous citations of his children prior to 1602, traceable to Table D1 of Hans Ulrich von Erlach's 800 Jahre Berner von Erlach (Bern, 1989), which, however, appears to be based almost entirely on earlier family genealogies rather than primary sources. Samuel was evidently in military service for France before 1602. He was noted on the Council of 200 (Rat der Zweihundert) at Bern in 1588, so it may be that he was in France before that time.

The genealogy of Hans Ulrich von Erlach (800 Jahren Berner von Erlach, 1989) indicates he was married a second time to Catharina von Wyngarten, but we found a claim that the groom for this marriage was actually born in 1592, the son of the younger Albrecht von Erlach (brother of the present Samuel). Samuel von Erlach and Catharina von Wyngarten baptised a son Theobald in 1620. The question of the parentage of this Samuel is not conclusively settled.

Another indication that Samuel von Erlach was connected with the Gachets of Payerne rather than the branch at Bern was found in an internet account of the Château de Mur, at Mur, Fribourg. We read that about 1613, the property was taxed as being owned jointly by the Gachet family of Payerne and Samuel von Erlach. We infer that Samuel obtained a part interest in this property by virtue of his marriage to Magdelaine. It is thus necessary to establish the ownership of the property prior to 1585.

The true parentage of Magdelaine Gachet was revealed in a terrier of the Noble Fiefs of Lausanne (ACV Ff 112, fol. 704). She was the daughter of François Gachet of Payerne.

Samuel made a reconnaissance on behalf of his children 02 nov 1620 (Ff 166, fol. 247), implying that (a) Magdelaine had died, and (b) the children, or some of them, were still minors. The property, located "en Gravesse" at Lutry, had been previously recognized by Etienne and Claude Dutruict, and before that by their father Jean Dutruict, who, we now know, was the brother of the grandfather of François. François had purchased the property from Etienne and Claude, and it had then passed by inheritance to Magdelaine.